Hello from the PBL Project, and I'm excited to present another Problem-Based "Weekly Warm-up"! Actually, there are two this week because there were two events last week that I couldn't pass up. As always, these are completely free (I hope it's a great way to share our PBL Project), and are created each week based on current events.

The first event is the official announcement by Apple that they are going to soon be releasing their "Smart Watch" (like a Smart Phone, but on your wrist where it can do a lot more... like monitor your heartbeat). I actually had a great Problem-Based "Weekly Warm-up" in the archives that works great for this event, so I wanted to share that. Students will become tech investors and decide on the "next big thing" in the world of wearable technology (smart watches, glasses, jewelry, and even clothes). Here's the link to that exercise: http://pblproject.com/page.aspx?pageid=PBL-ww-Wearables

The next exercise is one I promised a week ago because it has to do with the start of the NFL season. I went a unique direction with this one. This year, the NFL will be playing several football games in London as part of its longterm effort to help American football catch-on with the rest of the world. Your students will become advisors to the NFL commissioner and consider all of the issues involved. Is this a realistic goal, and what strategy should be used to help American football become a worldwide sport? Here's the link: http://pblproject.com/page.aspx?pageid=PBL-ww-Football

Again, these exercises are used to promote PBL strategies, and will pay off when students are asked to put all of their knowledge to good use. I hope you enjoy! Please let me know if you have any questions or comments, or if there's anything else I can do.

﻿﻿Tell me and I forget...Teach me and I remember...Involve me and I learn... - Benjamin Franklin﻿﻿

What is Project Based Learning (PBL)? Project Based Learning is a teaching method in which students gain knowledge and skills by working for an extended period of time to investigate and respond to a complex question, problem, or challenge. Essential Elements of PBL include:

Significant Content - At its core, the project is focused on teaching students important knowledge and skills, derived from standards and key concepts at the heart of academic subjects.

21st century competencies - Students build competencies valuable for today’s world, such as critical thinking/problem solving, collaboration, and communication, and creativity/ innovation, which are taught and assessed.

In-Depth Inquiry - Students are engaged in a rigorous, extended process of asking questions, using resources, and developing answers.

Driving Question - Project work is focused by an open-ended question that students understand and find intriguing, which captures their task or frames their exploration.

Need to Know - Students see the need to gain knowledge, understand concepts, and apply skills in order to answer the Driving Question and create project products, beginning with an Entry Event that generates interest and curiosity.

Voice and Choice - Students are allowed to make some choices about the products to be created, how they work, and how they use their time, guided by the teacher and depending on age level and PBL experience.

Revision and Reflection - The project includes processes for students to use feedback to consider additions and changes that lead to high-quality products, and think about what and how they are learning.

Public Audience - Students present their work to other people, beyond their classmates and teacher.

Project-Based Learning’s time has come. The experience of thousands of teachers across all grade levels and subject areas, backed by research, confirms that PBL is an effective and enjoyable way to learn. Why are so many educators across the United States and around the world interested in this teaching method? The answer is a combination of timeless reasons and recent developments.

Today’s students, more than ever, often find school to be boring and meaningless. In PBL, students are active, not passive; a project engages their hearts and minds, and provides real-world relevance for learning.

After completing a project, students remember what they learn and retain it longer than is often the case with traditional instruction. Because of this, students who gain content knowledge with PBL are better able to apply what they know and can do to new situations.

In the 21st century workplace, success requires more than basic knowledge and skills. In PBL, students not only understand content more deeply but also learn how to take responsibility and build confidence, solve problems, work collaboratively, communicate ideas, and be creative innovators.

The Common Core and other present-day standards emphasize real-world application of knowledge and skills, and the development of the 21st century competencies such as critical thinking, communication in a variety of media, and collaboration. PBL provides an effective way to address such standards.

Modern technology – which students use so much in their lives – is a perfect fit with PBL. With technology, teachers and students can connect with experts, partners, and audiences around the world, and use tech tools to find resources and information, create products, and collaborate more effectively.

PBL allows teachers to work more closely with active, engaged students doing high-quality, meaningful work, and in many cases to rediscover the joy of learning alongside their students.

Current models of PBL are not like some past examples of “doing projects” in which student learning outcomes were not clear. More rigorous and effective models of PBL, such as BIE’s, have been refined and tested in recent years in a variety of settings, subjects, and grade levels.

What is Future City? The Future City Competition is a national, project-based learning experience where students in 6th, 7th, and 8th grade imagine, design, and build cities of the future. Students work as a team with an educator and engineer mentor to plan cities using SimCity™ software; research and write solutions to an engineering problem; build tabletop scale models with recycled materials; and present their ideas before judges at Regional Competitions in January. Regional winners represent their region at the National Finals in Washington, DC in February. Future City Engages Kids in Engineering and So Much More... This flexible, cross-curricular educational program gives students an opportunity to do the things that engineers do—identify problems; brainstorm ideas; design solutions; test, retest and build; and share their results. This process is called the engineering design process. With this at its center, Future City is an engaging way to build students’ 21st century skills. Students participating in Future City:

Apply math and science concepts to real-world issues

Develop writing, public speaking, problem solving, and time management skills

At our April 9th GERD meeting, participants created a PBL (Project-Based Learning) activity for their class. They did this in groups. The following PDFs show lessons they've created using books and handouts they were given: